Friday Feel-good

I'm obsessing over a number of things at the moment, one being the amount of water that keeps falling from the sky, another being roses. Re the water thing...it's been so-so-so-so-so-so wet here this week, wet like you wouldn't believe. The little babbling beck that runs through our town swelled into a raging torrent and burst it's banks. Local roads have flooded. And closer to home, my (leaking) bay window roof has been pouring a steady stream of water into the living room. I've been collecting it in the washing up bowl, which in turn has become a makeshift paddling pool for Little B. Sometimes he's taken his socks off first, but mostly he's been climbing into it fully clothed. It's not been an easy week on the mothering front.

It's been a wellie wearing week for sure. Yesterday Little B and I splashed into town to go to knit and natter at the café. Actually, despite the rather dismal feeling of my coat being totally inadequate and not actually keeping me dry, we had fun. I deliberately took myself down to Little B's level mentally and emotionally and attempted to experience the walk in the way that he was doing. Puddles (lots of them), lets jump and splash! Rain pouring down (and soaking us to the skin), lets feel the joy! Gutters leaking (and pouring showers of water on top of our heads), lets laugh and find it funny! It worked to a point and much to my surprise I did rather enjoy the whole wet experience. After getting so soaked, it also made it doubly delicious to spend the morning drying out in the warm, fragrant café amongst yarny friends, drinking hot milky coffee and eating toasted fruit bread. I even crocheted half a rose.

Which brings me neatly to the Obsession of Today......................

Ten stems of the most exquisite orange roses, purchased from the market for £2.95.

Oh the pure joy these flowers have provided me with today is almost indescribable. I have fallen completely in love with them.

I snipped the stems short because I really desperately wanted to see them in my red and white spotty jug. They looked a bit lost bobbing about in the jug with no leaves to speak of, so I went out (in the rain) to snip some miscellaneous greenery from the front garden to accompany them. That almost tipped me over the edge then...the glorious orange blooms with the bright leafy green foliage nestling in red with white spots... ooooooooooooooooooohhhh!

Sigh. So completely beautiful. I don't think I've ever bought orange roses before, and I wonder now why ever not? Look what I've been missing all these years!

If you could've seen me here at the table this morning (this was 10.33am), you would've seen a very happy soul indeed. After the gloom of the weather this week, with all the added hassle it has brought to the school run (not to mention the roof/bowl/paddling toddler scenario and the resulting piles of wet clothes all over the place), I really felt in need of some Feel-good.

This was my recipe for todays Friday Feel-good ::

• Some child free time (45 mins while Little B was at playgroup)

• Good coffee (a take-out from the local coffee shop, decanted into my pretty mug)

• Something sweet and calorie laden ( Pain au raisin from the M&S bakery, tut-tut)

• A jug of fresh flowers on the table (smoochy, swoony orange roses of course)

• A little bit of colourful Hooky to work on (woolly stripes)

It worked a treat and the Feel-good was overflowing.

The stripes are coming on a treat too, very jolly indeed. As you know, I'm working on a stripy wreath base for my May Roses, and I am really, really enjoying making them. I'm using the Rico Merino wool I bought recently (see this post for colour info), mixed in with some odd scraps of baby cashmerino. I'm working in htc (half treble crochet) on a 3.5mm hook, so the stripes are coming out quite neat and tight (I don't want the white of the polystyrene wreath to show through when I stretch it over). I'm choosing the colours and stripe width completely at random, and loving it.

While I was working on the stripes and having a play with the roses I'd already made, I had a sudden overwhelming urge to make a sweet blue forget-me-not type flower. So I grabbed some yellow and turquoise blue yarn and set to work using my teeny-tiny flower pattern.

I'm really happy with how it turned out and I think a few of them dotted in amongst the roses will look super-cute. This wreath is going to be quite something when it's finished, I'm so looking forward to bringing it all together.

Ahhhh another adoring gaze at that orange beauty. Amazing how rapidly the petals began to relax and unfurl once they came into the house.

Now then. I have to confess this wickedly extravagant thought that keeps persistently needling away at me. I can't stop thinking of all the other colours of roses that Mr Plant Man had in his pavement buckets today. Yellow, pale pink, magenta, red.......the memory of them is giving me this incredible urge to go and buy a whole armful, one bunch of each colour. I could cram them all into a big jug and enjoy a week of Mulicoloured Floral Magnificence. £14.75 for fifty roses ?? Hmmm, I think I just squashed that delicious pesky thought right back down where it belongs. Ten is quite enough. Orange roses are good. Orange roses are great. Less is more an' all that.

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Comments

[Emily]

Roses are my absolute favourite flower. I completely understand your obsession with them. Live the crocheted ones too xx

[Selena]

Get another colour next week, then the week after, extend the joy :-(

[Selena]

Sorry, that should have been a smile! :-) :-)

[Heather]

Thanks for bringing fab colour to a bleurgh weather week! I thought of you Lucy this week when I looked at my clothes and thought "why all the black.?". I promptly bought some stripy veeeeery bright socks! Thanks for bringing colour to my life x

[maria joao]

You made me smile. Thank you

[Ada]

hi I think we should all spend at least some part of each day mentally and emotionally at a child level! I think we would all be a lot happier if we did! Lovely post, as usual Lucy, :)

[Jenny]

Your wreath is looking amazing so far, I can't wait to see it finished! Yay for orange roses too :) Jenny x

[Claire]

I have a complete addiction to Roses, in the garden, in vases, in photos on my walls, fragrance, lip balm, moisturiser! Love! Can't wait to see your finish Rose Wreath!
Claire

[Linda]

I know what you mean about the weather Lucy I am so sick of this constant rain enough is enough! Those roses are beautiful and such a bargain. I'm hoping that the rain will have eased by the time my roses bloom in the garden I have 15 rose bushes and for the past 2 years their lovely blooms have been ruined by rain. your wreath is going to be beautiful such lovely bright cheerful colours. Have a lovely weekend I think it's going to be fine tomorrow, fingers crossed xx

[Alice]

I know what you mean about the rain -I never leave without a brolly at the moment! Those roses look gorgeous - wish I could get some fresh flowers for my uni room to brighten it up a bit :) Alice x

[Jenny]

Oh - so sorry to hear of the leak in the Attic. But those orange roses really are delightful. And as always, your photos and your crocheting are inspirational. Hope the weekend treats you kindly.

Jenny

[Rachael Iddon]

Oh, I had a chuckle at the thought of the indoor paddling pool but I was also inwardly feeling your pain! I can just imagine my babykins doing the same thing. Bad weather and lots of wet clothes are enough to test anyone's patience.

[Sarah west mids uk]

Dear Lucy tomorrow is going to be better weatherwise. Thank goodness.
Love your idea for the rosy wreath and the tiny forgetmenots(they come up in the garden every year and I put some in a tiny jug).
Will we have any summer this year? Have a good weekendxx.
PS Those roses of yours were a good bargin and a wonderful splash of colour.

[Pippa Frost]

Really feel for you with your leak, paddling toddler, wet clothes everywhere! But as usual your cheery post a delight! I am finding myself going for colour more and more everywhere and I think it's your influence! Although I have always loved vibrant colour in the garden. I have just planted another lovely orange David Austen rose in the garden.

[Cat]

We had a nasty bit of rainy early spring here ourselves. Now instead of the horrible humidity we normally have it is actually quite nice, sweater weather actually. I am loving it, just like I am loving your pretty colors, those roses are gorgeous!!!

Just wanted to FYI that my dear friend said your site was a saving grace the other day. She needed to crochet some flowers and I sent her here and she loved it!!!

Hugs!
Cat

[Rachell]

Those roses are indeed absolutely gorgeous I love the colour!

[del]

Who could've passed up such roses? They are beyond beautiful. And I mean your crochet ones as well as the "live" ones.

I'm sorry, I did smile at the image of Little B splashing about fully clothed!

[Kate]

Woke up to sunshine this morning- makes such a difference.
M&S pain au raisin always hits the spot I find.Leaky bay windows... ours leaked into the cat bed, being stuffed with foamy stuff it just soaked up all the water,didn't realise there was a leak until, wondering why the cats were ignoring their usual spot by the window, I patted the bed to encourage them...eugh!

[Lynne Gill]

Almost midnight, watching Murder on the Orient Express (for the umpteenth time) my ' J ' upstairs snoring happily, as I try and tire myself out with a very late night. Huge chuckle at the vision of Little B hurling himself into the leaky collection bowl! Of course, what else would he do??

Those orange roses look amazing, and no, they wouldn't have been my first choice either. Nah, you don't need nearly £15 worth of roses..........it would be colour overload in your house!

Lovely post, thank you, I've enjoyed reading it.

[Rose]

I have never before seen an orange rose!

[vero]

Me gusta mucho !!!!!! Haberte descubierto , es hermoso tu blog !!!!!Saludos desde Argentina, Vero Fernandez

[angela-southern USA]

Love the roses :) I love all flowers in all colors too.Sorry to hear about the rain and paddling pool,but great memories for later when He's older;)Can't wait to see your wreath,I'm sure it will be GLORious!Have a great weekend!Hope the sun-shines your way.

[susanc]

I love your posts Lucy ~ so colorful and lovely. They inspire me!

I'm not sure if you celebrate Mother's Day in the UK, but Happy Mother's Day from the United States! Have a wonderful weekend. :)

[Jacqui]

I have to say that I love seeing your crochet projects. You have such a wonderful knack for putting colours together. Your work is beautiful!!

[Simone]

Oh Lucy, so sorry to hear of your hectic week, water and leeking roofs are never good, I can speak from experience, Sydney has experienced its wettest Summer in over 60 years and whilst camping at the Basin in Palm Beach back in January we came home to half our house flooded from a leeking roof! Never good; but I must say those flowers would have cheered me up, they are just gorgeous. Thank you as always for the pick-me-up post. You'll never know what it does to my working day; smiles all round. Simone xx